Laminated pencil with detachable lead



Jan. 28, 1964 J. P. SHURCLIFF 3,119,376

LAMINATED PENCIL WITH DETACHABLE LEAD Filed Jan. 26, 1962 l fiiwi ii II I f A M \UJ| ATTORNEYS.

United Statesv Patent 3,119,376 LAMINATED PENCIL WETH DETACHABLE LEAD John P. Shnrclitf, Box 2954, Tullahoma, Tenn. Filed Jan. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 163,934 4 Claims. (Cl. 12il14.9)

The present invention relates to writing instruments and is more particularly concerned with a changeable lead pencil having a magazine for the leads as Well as a method for making such pencils.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a pencil having at least one end capable of receiving and detachably retaining a lead therein and which pencil can be economically produced from laminations of sheet material.

A further and important object of the invention is to provide a pencil having a magazine, for a plurality of leads, as for example, leads of various colors and which magazine supports the leads so that they are visible at all times and can be quickly and easily removed or replaced as desired.

Another and equally important object of the invention is to provide a method for producing a plurality of pencils having ends for detachably retaining leads and magazines filled with leads, which pencils are produced from sheet material.

Further objects of the invention will be in part pointed out and in part obvious from the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a base sheet coated with adhesive for a plurality of pencils according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of said base sheet.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of said base sheet with filler strips added.

FIG. 4 is an end view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3, but with a sponge plastic added between said filler strips.

FIG. 6 is an end view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 5, but with leads added between said filler strips.

FIG. 8 is an end view of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a top sheet added to the top of said filler strips.

FIG. 10 is an end view of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a plan view similar to FIG. 9, but with severance lines indicated for providing the individual pencil sections and a separated section.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of the present pencil without leads in the ends thereof.

FIG. 13 is a further enlarged sectional view of the pencil taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 12 and with a writing lead added.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the left hand end portion of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a side view of a lead removing tool.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a modified form of lead removing tool.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a third form of lead removing tool shown as mounted in an end of a pencil.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings wherein like and corresponding parts are indicated by similar reference characters, numeral 1 indicates a sheet preferrably of either a wood or a plastic. Said sheet is coated on one face with an adhesive 2 and filler strips 3 and 5 are placed along the marginal edges of said sheet while filler strip 4 extends down the longitudinal center of said sheet. Strips 3, 4, and 5 are connected by adhesive 2 to said sheet 1 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

A sponge plastic 6 such as polyurethane is placed be- Price tween strips 3 and 4 and 4 and 5 adhering to adhesive 2, but not filling the space between said strips.

Lengths of leads 7 are placed on plastic 6 between strips 5 and 5 and between strips 3 and 4. Said leads 7 may be of the same color or various colors.

A coating of adhesive 8 is then applied to the exposed faces of strips 3, 4 and Sand a top sheet 9 is pressed down on top of leads 7 compressing the sponge plastic 6 therebeneath until sheet 9 is stuck to adhesive 8 placing said leads 7 level with said strips as shown in FIG. 10.

Said strips and said top sheet may be of the same material as sheet 1, namely either wood or a plastic.

The larninated structure comprising said base sheet, strips, plastic, leads and top sheet is then cut perpendicular to said. sheets and laterally along parallel equally spaced lines 11} severing a plurality of pencil sections such as 11 therefrom. Each section 11 consists of a bottom 12 and top 13 with lead sections 14 and fillers 15, 16 and 17 therebetween.

An end portion of each section 11 is planed, sanded or the like to provide a slanting top 18, bottom19f and sides 20' and 21 all of which taper towards one another. Similarly the opposite end portion is treated to provide slanting top 22, bottom 23, and sides 24 and 25 tapering inwardly toward one another.

An axial bore 26 is formed in the right hand end of each section while an axial bore 27 is formed in the left hand end. Said bores are sized to frictionally, but slideably receive a lead 13. Longitudinal slots 28 and 2? are formed in said ends extending from top18 through bore 26 to bottom19 and top 22 through bore 27 to bottom 23 respectively. Bores 26 and 27 and slots 28 and 29 can be formed in the laminated structure of PEG. 11 before cutting or in each section 11 before tapering the ends thereof if desired.

Lead sections 14 can be inserted in bores 26 and 27 where they will be frictionally retained so that either end of the pencil can be used for writing. The lead can be changed by pushing an end thereof against an end of a lead in the magazine provided between fillers 15, 16 and 1'7 whereupon the pushing lead will be stored and a new lead projected for being withdrawn and inserted in the vacant bore. Thus a plentiful supply of lead is always available with the pencil as well as leads of differing colors. The resiliency of sponge plastic 6 retains the lead sections 14 in said magazines.

The tool of FIG. 15 has a cylindrical section 30 of a diameter similar to that of leads 14 for being pushed against said leads to move one from said magazines or inserted in bores 26 and 27. The tool also has a flat section 31 of a width for sliding in slots 28 and 2% to engage a lead in said bores to push the lead therefrom.

The tool of FIG. 16 has cylindrical portion 32 and flat end 33 corresponding to similar portions 33 and 31 of the tool of FIG. 15 and in addition has a knob 34 on said cylinder 32 for assisting in pushing said tool or said knob may be of an eraser material.

The tool of FIG. 17 has cylindrical portion 35 and flat end 36 similar to portions 36 and 31 of the tool of FIG. 15 and in addition has ring 37 fixedly connected to or integral with cylinder 35 for receiving a string, ribbon or the like (not shown) for suspending a pencil when said cylinder 35 is inserted in either of the bores 26 or 2'7.

It is to be appreciated that sheets 1 and 9 can be treated before assembly to provide their half of the tapered ends of the pencil sections. Thus if made of wood they can be planed or sanded or the like to have slanting marginal edge portions as well as a series of slots, corresponding to slots 28 and 29. If made of plastic they can be molded to conform to their portion of the pencil section.

Whereas the description has referred to leads for use with the pencil, it is to be appreciated that leads 14 can equally as Well be crayons, charcoal or other marking material.

The present pencil is capable of considerable modification and such changes thereto as come within the scope of the appended claims is deemed to be a part of the invention.

I claim:

1. A method of producing a plurality of pencils from sheet material consisting in coating a sheet with an adhesive, applying spaced parallel filler strips to said adhesive and a spongy material between said strips, mounting a plurality of lengths of lead on said spongy material, applying adhesive to said strips, superimposing a second sheet on said adhesive on said strips While compressing said leads into said spongy material, cutting said sheets, strips, spongy material and leads laterally of said sheets along equally spaced parallel lines providing pencil sections, and boring and slotting each end of each pencil section longitudinally thereof.

2. A method of producing a plurality of pencils each having bored and slotted ends for receiving leads consisting in forming a pair of sheets each with a series of longitudinally slotted and recessed portions corresponding to their part of the pencil, adhering said sheets to opposite sides or a plurality of filler strips, mounting a spongy material on one of said sheets between said filler strips providing lead magazines, boring and slotting said strips contiguouswith the recess and slots of said sheets and cutting said sheets, spongy material and strips laterally of said sheets providing a plurality of pencil sections.

3. A laminated pencil comprising a pair of flat pencil body sections, a plurality of parallel spaced apart filler strips extending laterally between and connected to said body sections providing lead magazines therebetween,

resilient material in said magazines tending to retain leads therein and a portion of said body sections and strips being bored and slotted forming resilient recesses for detachably retaining leads therein.

4. A laminated pencil comprising a pair of elongated fiat pencil sections, a pair of filler strips positioned between and connected to end portions of said pencil sections, an intermediate filler strip positioned between and connected to a medial portion of said pencil sections providing lead magazines between said strips, a resilient material mounted on one of said pencil sections between said strips for retaining leads in said magazines, said pencil sections and pair of filler strips being slotted and bored longitudinally of said pencil sections for receiving leads therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 149,417 Schroeder Apr. 7, 1874 481,100 Bowman Aug. 16, 1892 883,009 McGee Mar. 24, 1908 1,868,951 Sanford July 26, 1932 1,876,698 Larsen Sept. 3, 1932 2,111,195 Skaw Mar. 15, 1938 2,619,937 Kostka Dec. 2, 1952 2,704,533 Spallini Mar. 22, 1955 2,902,977 Shurclifi Sept. 8, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,538 Great Britain Nov. 23, 1901 (of 1901) 55,145 France Dec. 20, 1950 (1st addn. to 935,230) 126,302 Germany Dec. 19, 1900 

3. A LAMINATED PENCIL COMPRISING A PAIR OF FLAT PENCIL BODY SECTIONS, A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL SPACED APART FILLER STRIPS EXTENDING LATERALLY BETWEEN AND CONNECTED TO SAID BODY SECTIONS PROVIDING LEAD MAGAZINES THEREBETWEEN, RESILIENT MATERIAL IN SAID MAGAZINES TENDING TO RETAIN LEADS THEREIN AND A PORTION OF SAID BODY SECTIONS AND STRIPS BEING BORED AND SLOTTED FORMING RESILIENT RECESSES FOR DETACHABLY RETAINING LEADS THEREIN. 